(With contributions from Salem State Sports Information)

Southern Maine Downs Salem State 3-1

            SALEM, Mass. -- Junior Shannon Colbert (Manomet, Mass.) scored a pair of goals as the visiting University of Southern Maine Huskies defeated the Salem State University Vikings 3-1 in a New England Hockey Conference women's game Saturday afternoon at the Richard H. Rockett Arena.

            The win was the second straight, and third in the last four games, for the Huskies who improved to 8-10-2 overall and 6-5-0 in NEHC play.  The Vikings dropped their second straight game to slide to 3-13-1 overall and 2-8-1 in conference.

            Colbert scored what proved to be the game-winning goal late in the first period when the Huskies built a 2-0 lead.  The junior captain added an empty-net insurance goal in the final minute of play.

            The Huskies grabbed a 1-0 lead midway through the first period as sophomore Shannon Douglas (Telford, England) firing home the rebound of a shot taken by classmate Brianna Doty (Lyndonville, Vt.) at 11:02.  Colbert made it 2-0 in the final minute of the period, tallying a power-play goal after a set-up from senior Mikayla Butkus (Essex Junction, Vt.) and junior Rylie Binette (Milan, N.H.).

            Senior Casie Curtin (Wrentham, Mass.) put the Vikings on the board midway through the second period scoring a power-play goal at 9:03.  Rookies Carolyn Mahoney (Melrose, Mass.) and Isabella Perrotti (Winthrop, Mass.) picked up the assists.

            The game remained at 2-1 until the final minute of regulation.  With Salem State freshman goalie Dana Smullen (Peabody, Mass.) off in favor of the extra attacker, Colbert took a feed from sophomore Julianne Nelson (Armstrong, B.C.) and deposited the puck into the empty net with 17 seconds remaining.

            Salem State piled up a 25-10 advantage in shots on goal in the game.  USM senior goaltender Whitney Padgett (Eden Prairie, Minn.), coming off a career-high 53-save performance against Plymouth State University on Friday, stopped 24 shots to earn her sixth win of the season.  Smullen recorded seven saves on nine shots.

            Southern Maine travels to Boston next Friday (4 p.m.) to play the University of Massachusetts Boston in an NEHC game.  Salem State will host Bowdoin College for a non-conference game on Tuesday (7 p.m.).

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